The Idea Of Perfection In Grendel By John Gardner

The Idea of Perfection in an Imperfect World Society has become addicted to achieving perfection. Its precedence can be seen in every aspect of life from sports to appearance. The illusion of human perfection motivates great feats yet it can also be the cause of infamous failures. Famous coach and commonly quoted motivator John Wooden once said â€Å"Perfection is impossibility but striving for perfect is not. Do the best you can. That is what counts.† Working for an idea or belief that is unreachable or in some cases may not even exist seems futile, but the success of the attempt does not outweigh the presence of the effort. The idea of perfection is unachievable because everything has flaws, but the path to perfection is walkable. In his†¦show more content†¦Along with this comes the authoritative voice, but also the ability to public speak. The point that Grendel focuses on is Beowulf’s eye contact or lack thereof. He pinpoints each aspect of Beowulf that d oes not fit the expectation and obsesses over it the same way one fixates on their own imperfections. These minuscule oddities are the only faults Grendel finds which serves to his discomfort because he is not able to understand Beowulf since he is so wholesome. The peculiarities Grendel preoccupies himself with are faults that in society are often not even counted as actual flaws. Grendel is so blinded with his misunderstanding of Beowulf that he cannot see his humanistic flaws or interior flaws, and since Grendel is the narrator the absence of these shows the tendency to look for any possible errors. Perfection is so sought after that even the closest attempts to it are ripped down by criticism. The problem with perfection is that there is no definition, an individual or even a majority does not truly know when perfection is even achieved. Gardner’s verbal irony highlights Grendel’s fear for the unknown, establishing that because of the discrepancy perfection creates among individuals it will never be attained. While Grendel examines Beowulf he undergoes a fit of horror, once it passes he proclaims, â€Å"Except for his curious beardlessness, there is nothing frighteningShow MoreRelatedJoker and Batman Essay9227 Words   |  37 Pagesofficial credit for the character. Batmans secret identity is Bruce Wayne, billionaire industrialist, playboy, and philanthropist. Witnessing the murder of his parents as a child leads him to train himself to the peak of physical and intellectual perfection, don a costume, and fight crime. Unlike most superheroes, he does not possess any superhuman powers or abilities; he makes use of intellect, detective skills, technology, and physical prowess in his war on crime. Contents [hide] 1 Publication

Essay on Images of Women in Sports - 1033 Words

Images of Women in Sports Over the years the perception of women in sport has changed considerably. In this course we have viewed several films all dealing with the depiction of female athletes in an attempt to gauge societys current perception of women in sport. I will briefly summarize each film and the main themes of the films before providing a description of the female athlete which I will infer from commonalities between the films. The first film we watched was a documentary entitled, Dare to Compete; it provided a brief history of women in film, focusing primarily on American women in sport from the late 19th century to the present. From this film we gained a notion of where women have been and how far weve come in the†¦show more content†¦The third film we watched was, Remember the Titans. Remember the Titans, traces the racial integration of a Virginian high school football team in the 1960s as well as the racial integration of the high school. While this film is about a male football team and women are minor characters within the film it shows how sport can unite people from different racial and socioeconomic backgrounds The fourth film we watched was, Girlfight; a film about a Latina who lives in the ghetto and becomes a boxer. The protagonists struggle to be taken seriously as a female boxer, to find people who will train her and compete with her is one of the major themes of this film. However, this film examines not only the protagonists role as an athlete, but her home life, love interest and inner turmoil as she learns to control and focus her aggressive personality. The fifth and final film we watched was, Love and Basketball, a film that primarily traces the coming of age of a man and a woman, two childhood friends and basketball fanatics who both pursue professional careers in basketball while focusing primarily on the female protagonist. The main conflict in this film had less to do with the female protagonist struggling for approval from her parents and acceptance by society than any of the other films weve seen in this class. Instead, it dealt with the female protagonists need to evaluate her priorities and decide what she wanted and how to divideShow MoreRelated Images of Women in Sports Essay859 Words   |  4 PagesImages of Women in Sports There is, of course, a huge difference between the ways women are typically supposed to act and what is expected from a typical athlete. Whereas women are expected to comply to their gender role prescribing passivity and compliance, athletes are connoted with an aggressive, competitive nature. Furthermore, society trains women to be ashamed of their bodies and supplies an unrealistic ideal body type and encourages restricting feminine clothing, whereas athletes mustRead MoreEssay on The Evolution of the Image of Women in Sports1081 Words   |  5 PagesThe Evolution of the Image of Women in Sports 1. Through the readings, films, and discussions, we have looked at the image of women in sport. Discuss the images of women in sport and how they are affected by todays cultural ideal of women. All of the films that we watched provided different perspectives on how the image of women is situated in our culture. From the first movie, Dare to Compete, which highlighted the development of womens participation in sports, to Love and BasketballRead More The Image of Women in Sports Today Essay1095 Words   |  5 PagesThe Image of Women in Sports Today We live in a world that changes quickly, so its no terrible surprise that the image of women in sports is changing quickly, as well. Relatively, it hasnt been that long since women were not even socially permitted to participate in sports or any kind of physical activity-- now, I dare say, its nearly expected. There are still remnants of past gender-types, but overall I think the image of women in sports has changed dramatically. It used to be that womenRead More Images of Women in Sport: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Essay example1021 Words   |  5 PagesImages of Women in Sport: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Throughout history, men have placed limitations on womens activities, including sport. Women have gone through times where physical exertion was considered too stressing for women, physiologically and emotionally, as well as everything short of encouragement. 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In these roles, men were seen as both physically and mentally stronger, and women were seen as more gentle, caring and physically and mentally weaker. As such, men participating in sports which demonstrate grace and elegance was not, and to some extent, still is not considered to be the norm. Likewise, women participating in sports which demonstrateRead MoreSports Media And Body Image1235 Words   |  5 PagesJournal Article Mini-Paper Article 1: Sports Media and Body Image Tia DeHaan The article Must See TV or ESPN: Entertainment and Sports Media Exposure and Body-Image Distortion in College Women by Kimberly L. Bissell and Peiqin Zhou examines how media promotes an idealization of thinness in college-age women. The study by Bissell and Zhou takes place at a southern college university in the United States, and compares and contrasts the entertainment industry and sports media on disordered eating and bodyRead MoreGender Inequality Around The World1437 Words   |  6 Pagesfor Women Worldwide, Nicholas D. Kristof said, â€Å"In the nineteenth century, the central moral challenge was slavery. In the twentieth century, it was the battle against totalitarianism. We believe that in this century the paramount moral challenge will be the struggle for gender equality around the world†. Although women have made great strides in gaining equality, females around the world are not treated as equals to their male counterparts. Their education is taken for granted, their sports areRead More Women in Sport: â€Å"Sacrificing the womanly attributes we admire†1343 Words   |  6 PagesWomen in Sport: â€Å"Sacrificing the womanly attributes we admire† Do I sacrifice my ‘womanly attributes’ by making the choice to ski down a mountain with a 3000+ vertical drop, while traveling at 50-60 mph? Does my choice to do squats and engage in strength training, or my desire to do 300 sit-ups each night in order to achieve a six-pack, make me less of a woman? Is it odd that I do not enjoy displaying polite, ladylike behavior during every second of my existence? I do not think so. SocietyRead MoreMedia Coverage of Sports, Questions and Answers894 Words   |  4 PagesQuestion #1: Step-by-step analysis of mediated sport â€Å"Magazines are different from other forms of media in their ‘exceptional’ capacity to shape social life† (Kennedy Hills, 2009 p. 96 para.3). This statement encapsulates the drive and focus of magazine media; by focusing on the current issues to help form the values, norms and beliefs of the readers. Sports Illustrated (SI) had a feature story dealing with the mystery surrounding the star running back for the Denver Broncos, Knowshon Moreno

Rice Production and Consumption Trends in Negros O Essay Example For Students

Rice Production and Consumption Trends in Negros O Essay riental RICE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION TRENDS IN NEGROS ORIENTAL By Julhusin B. Jalisan Introduction Negros Oriental, endowed with a healthy agricultural climate, is haven to skillful and hardworking farmers who for ages have nurtured and enriched the provinces soil, giving birth to a paradise of abounding farm and plantation. With agriculture as the lifeblood of its economy, about 56 percent of its total land area have been cultivated as agricultural lands, with approximately five percent are utilized for the production of palay (Provincial Development and Investment Plan, 2002). Through struggling years of treading the land with ardor and dedication borne out of the farmers intensive labor, rice production remains the key source of livelihood and sustenance of its constituents, especially the rural folks who are fundamentally dependent on agronomic yield. While the province of Negros Oriental has not experienced any acute food shortage, one of the concerns of the policy-makers has been to attain sufficiency in food supply particularly rice. However, it has been observed that the rice industry has not been able to effectively tap its potentials and meet the increasing demands of the growing population. This inability to effectively close the gap between the demand for all supply of rice has been the reason for resorting to importation. Considering the above premises, there is therefore a need for a study on the prevailing conditions of rice production in the province. Review of Related Literature and Studies The touchstone thinking on the adequacy of the food supply goes back to the time of Malthus, a British economist of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries (1766-1843). Malthus observed that food resources increase by the process of addition that is, by arithmetic progression but that population increases by multiplication, or in geometric progression. He further observed that population inevitably increases up to the limits of subsistence. This led him to conclude that the pressure of overcrowding populations upon which the means of subsistence must ultimately bring misery and degradation (Hughes 8). Current trends seem to support the Malthusian theory. It can be seen from here that despite with the great strides in science and technology, the world has reached the age where population growth has outpaced food production. The Agriculture Magazine, in its September 1998 issue, reported that millions of people in the least developed nations go hungry each day because population is growing at 2.8 percent a year. If they continue to grow at this rate, their population will double in 24 years. Role of the National Food Authority At the heart of the countrys food security policies is the National Food Authority (NFA). But with the way the food agency has performed in the past, there is clearly a need for the government policymakers to rethink the role of this institution. In a study conducted by the Congressional Planning and Budget Office (CPBO), the following findings have been unveiled as among the basic weaknesses of the NFAs programs (Debuque, Aug. 25, 1999): #61623; Greater benefits to rice consumers rather than palay farmers. Data from 1992 to 1996 reveal that farmers get only eight percent of NFA subsidies compared to about 92 percent received by consumers. #61623; Inability to influence farm gate prices. Statistics show that despite the NFAs paddy procurement in the years 1995 to 1998, its support prices fell below actual palay prices. The support price was fixed at P8.00 per kilo in 1996 while farm gate prices averaged at P8.20 per kilo. ;#61623; Low and declining buying levels. From 1975 to 1996, the NFA procured a yearly average of just five percent of total palay production, and was able to exceed its target procurement level only in 1990. .u42391a14b7d2b7bb0c0615f11defd9b9 , .u42391a14b7d2b7bb0c0615f11defd9b9 .postImageUrl , .u42391a14b7d2b7bb0c0615f11defd9b9 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u42391a14b7d2b7bb0c0615f11defd9b9 , .u42391a14b7d2b7bb0c0615f11defd9b9:hover , .u42391a14b7d2b7bb0c0615f11defd9b9:visited , .u42391a14b7d2b7bb0c0615f11defd9b9:active { border:0!important; } .u42391a14b7d2b7bb0c0615f11defd9b9 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u42391a14b7d2b7bb0c0615f11defd9b9 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u42391a14b7d2b7bb0c0615f11defd9b9:active , .u42391a14b7d2b7bb0c0615f11defd9b9:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u42391a14b7d2b7bb0c0615f11defd9b9 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u42391a14b7d2b7bb0c0615f11defd9b9 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u42391a14b7d2b7bb0c0615f11defd9b9 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u42391a14b7d2b7bb0c0615f11defd9b9 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u42391a14b7d2b7bb0c0615f11defd9b9:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u42391a14b7d2b7bb0c0615f11defd9b9 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u42391a14b7d2b7bb0c0615f11defd9b9 .u42391a14b7d2b7bb0c0615f11defd9b9-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u42391a14b7d2b7bb0c0615f11defd9b9:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: My Heart is in Seoul, Korea Essay;#61623; Persistent delays in procurement. The NFA usually buys one or two months after the peak season such that it is the richer farmers or the traders those with storage capabilities or access to post-harvest facilities who take advantage of the agencys support price. Other studies have, in the same vein, emphasized how delays in NFA procurement as well as the arrival of rice imports worsened fluctuations in palay and rice prices. Factors Influencing Productivity Kimpo, in her study conducted in Pigcawayan, Cotabato in 1963, listed the following as among the vital factors influencing rice .